lessons

Right now in your life…are you surrounded by people who lift you up or bring you down? Take a moment to think about those you speak to and see the most… your co-workers, friends, kids, family, mate, neighbors, parents… Do they let you be you? Do they help you ALIGN with your life’s purpose? Do they help you increase your joy? And what about you? Do you create this support for those around you? Are you a beacon for others’ authenticity or do you want to mold people into what you want them to be, so that they embrace the safe, happy, appropriate life you envision for them? Hmmmm?

REALLY EASY right now to get defensive and pull back. That is an option but one that shuts down the learning flow. Just for a moment, even if you are feeling “icky”, stay in that icky vibe. Let it process through you and then release it. In the end we are all doing the best we can with what we know and as Maya Angelou says when we know better we do better! 🙂

I’m realizing that I do this a lot with people closest to me. I have an idea of what would keep them safe and I hold that for them. I am WAY better at releasing this than I used to be, still it’s a journey. Noticing when I do it. Why notice it? Well, it’s the only way to release it. This is simply another form of JUDGING. Not so many generations ago this was how people survived, but things are different now. Judgment is a FORM OF FEAR. It leaks your vital energy out from your energetic container. People who do the deepest, most effective type of energy work are strongly disciplined in *Cleaning *Filling and *Protecting their energy container for the more that is done, the more intuition hits you get, the more you can hear your guides.

Yesterday was my very first ButterflyMoms Workshop in the Europe! It felt AWESOME!!! This time it was HOW TO BUILD YOUR INTUITION…They learned how to maintain their energetic containers and even did some visualization exercises. We also incorporated the power of the ocean as it was our glorious view for the workshop. It felt WUNDERBAH that although I’ve only been here a short time, that it was rainy and that I only booked it less than a week ago, I had four people from all over the world enthusiastically show up! I love that I am living my dream of BEING THE FIRE THAT IGNITES PEOPLE’s SOUL!!!! Be careful… it’s VERY CONTAGIOUS!!!!

During the workshop I told the story of when I was living in San Francisco and had really risen in the ranks of speakers to the point where I was a keynote speaker. I was doing a keynote address to a group of almost 1,000 people. Afterwards, even though 30 people had lined up to congratulate me and thank me, I disregarded what they said and listened instead to a man who yelled at me for doing the worst job as a speaker that he has ever seen. I literally let it affect me so deeply that I stopped speaking in public… for years.

Energetically speaking I had not worked on the maintenance of my energetic container. It was weak and he ruptured it. That would never happen today because I now better understand the laws of energy. It was a painful lesson but also a really important one for me…and now you get the benefits so that you don’t have to necessarily go through the same pain.

Great big hugs,

Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

EVEN MORE WAYS TO FEED YOUR SOUL…

√ COACHING: For those who want a coach with a lot of heart, I’m here to help you get rid of your blocks and go towards your goal. I’m living what I have been teaching clients for nearly two decades. Whether you are curious or serious send me an email to maria@butterflymoms.com to set up a time to get you to your first step. For those who want something to shift in their lives this is a great time!!!

√ INTERVIEW: Here is the magnificent ButteflyMoms interview on Nancy L. Cantor‘s Dream Factory Television Show… I hope you watch it and that it feeds your soul! ! http://vimeo.com/30095902

An example of what traditional Portuguese kitchens look like… if this kitchen could talk! Ahhhhhhh YUMMY!!!!

√ BOOKS FOR SALE: One “Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire” book sold this week in Hudson, MA! See list below for all the places in the world where this book has been sold! Last year I co-authored the book ENTREPRENEUR MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE. If you have been thinking about starting a business or want to take your business to the next level this is a wonderful way to start. WAY cheaper than going back to school…and very helpful! To feed the soul of a friend, buy them a copy by CLICKING HERE NOW… http://bit.ly/gRxe4U. Feel part of the magic below and see where in the world people have bought this book…

WHAT IS BUTTERFLYMOMS?ButterflyMoms is a community of people who realize they are souls first and human being second. They want to explore more about themselves, to find out what makes them happy and how they can lead a life of purpose. It is simply about FEEDING YOUR SOUL. Although it has the name “MOMS” in the title it is more about being nurturing to your own transformation, as the butterfly is to its own metamorphosis. This community is led by Maria Salomão-Schmidt whose transformation was ignited by the birth and death of her BELOVED thirteen month old daughter Sophia (Sophalicious), the original butterfly.

*Every Friday Morning, as a way of honoring her daughter Sophia’s soul,

Mialotta takes part in the performance with the amazing group director José Marques in Lisboa.

Maria writes the weekly BUTTERFLYMOMS BLOG. Hundreds of people read it every week to feed their souls. Maria started writing the blog in May 2009 and has written EVERY Friday since. Maria is a Reiki master and every time you read it you are showered with healing love.

It feels soooooooo awesome to connect with you again today! When I sit down to write I literally do it as if we were sitting here together having an iced or hot tea (depending on your mood and location ;). It is another way I practice connecting to the universal energy that we all come from. It feels AMAZING, FAMILIAR, NURTURING, JOY-FULL, and even FUN! Thank you for your part in this wonderful formula we call ButterflyMoms!

A GROWING GREETING…

If you have ever tried yoga (and I highly, highly, highly suggest that you do!!!) many teachers begin and end their class with the word “NAMASTE”. It is a Sanskrit word used as a greeting, but one that calls your BEST and HIGHEST good, as well as the BEST and HIGHEST good of the other person! Each time you greet someone you are saying, the God/Goddess/Love energy in me sees the God/Goddess/Love energy in you! “NAMASTE” calls you each back to your core essence, back into your zone! Your zone is not my zone BUT when each of us is in alignment we have true peace. In this space there is only LOVE. TRUE LOVE, not those mushy Hollywood myths that people love to mirror. 😉

TRY THIS…

For the next week either out loud or to yourself when you see someone instead of just saying “HEY” , “HI”, “HOW’S IT GOIN”, WHAT’S SHAKIN’ or HOW’S IT HANGIN’, how about you take a deep breath and say NAMASTE, even if it’s only in your mind. Think of it as a sweet, sweet alignment for your soul….it’s free and fun and is also a deep, magical gift to the others you come across in your day. 😉

Tuesday was my husband Doug’s last chemotherapy appointment for this round. He has an ornery auto-immune disease called vasculitis that has been getting our attention for the last two years. So

Give Your Ickies to the Rocks

while the last round of snow storms hit we were at Mass General in Boston getting his infusion. At the very same time my books were finally delivered. It was 308 pounds of pure DREAM REALIZATION and its name is called Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire! WOW! WOW! WOW! Dream Realization Feels Good y’all!!!!! REAL GOOD!!! 😉 The book did not come in the way I thought it would but I was open to the way it did. The result is that this New Year I got a break from putting down “WRITE A BOOK” as my new year’s resolution!!! 😉 (only took 20 years!!! 😉

For over 20 years I have dreamt about these 308 pounds. Imagined in my mind what it would feel like to finally publish my first book. I pictured what it would be like to hold it, smell it, turn the pages and autograph them for people. In those 20 years I’ve also taken lots and lots of shit and ridicule from those who did not believe in my dream. You may find it surprising that most of those people were not my enemies but actually close family and friends. Many of them love/like me but I was messing with their comfort zone of what was APPROPRIATE DREAMING and what was not. In their minds they were doing for my own good….to keep me safe ;). GENTLE REMINDER TO BREATHE HERE, LOOSEN YOUR SHOULDERS and MOVE YOUR JAW AROUND….AHHHHHHHHH! (Remember from last week’s blog to give your “ickies” to the rocks so that you can clearly see the message for you without all the crap-ola!!!! 😉

(SIDENOTE: Notice that I wrote “taken lots and lots of shit and ridicule from”. What that means to me is that I actually did let it affect me. To say it did not and that I was fully focused is a lie. I let it do the opposite of NAMASTE. I let myself (many, many, many times) fall back into the “I’m not as good as ____________________” (fill in whomever fits), especially if my ______________ (boyfriend/girlfriend/mother/cousin/grandfather/sister/uncle/dad/brother/aunt/teacher-whoever it is for you) says so. One of my favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quotes is “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Well, I gave my consent because I did not know that I was enough. I grew up in a VERY Portuguese home/community where acceptance is paramount. I cannot tell you how many times I heard, “what are the neighbors going to think” At times I thought that I needed their approval in some way to feel whole, some days I still do, it’s a habit that is growing weaker ;).

Our Journey on Earth is about Learning How to FLY!!!!!!

Ahhhhhhh, my ButterflyMoms, we are our own prison guards!!! Really take this in. On “Amazing Home Makeover” (the show on ABC) there was a beautiful young man who was in college when his sister and mother died so instead of having his niece and nephews go into foster homes he quit school to take care of them. Even against huge odds he believes, “THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN STOP YOU IS YOU!” Take it in, really take that in. What does this mean for you? I invite you to fire your guard or at the very least start giving him/her some well-deserved TIME OFF!!!) He/She has served his/her purpose and now they can also be set free! SET YOURSELF FREE!!!!!!

When you don’t have a lot of support, you have the opportunity to create your own support systems that work for you. That is what the ButterflyMoms community is to me. It is a wonderful support system for those who want to FLY!!!!!! Tap into this support and create other like systems throughout your life that allow your soul to grow and expand. It is fun to explore the possibilities. The more you question your “SHOULDs” the more you will EXPAND your JOY!

Great big honkin’ hugs to YOU!

Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

🙂

ButterflyMoms founder…YAY!

PS In continuing to follow my soul’s dreams I ask for your help to get me to my goal of selling at least 300 copies of “Entrepreneurial Moms Extraordinaire” this year. So far I have only 11 orders…two from my mom ;)! If you feel inspired buy a book or two. I sign every book and wrap it with lots of love! You never know what magic comes to you when you create magic for others! To order now go to http://bit.ly/gRxe4U

It is sooooooooooo wonderful to wake up EVERY Friday morning way before even the sun gets up knowing that I’m going to CONNECT WITH YOU! It feels wonderful knowing I’m feeding so many souls by just being myself! And for you, beautiful ButterflyMoms, when you CONNECT in this manner there is less DEFENSE because you can read slowly or a part of it and then come back to it later. In other words, you can process it at any speed you wish. I like to think of it like a “pitching fork” that is used for aligning notes. When you come to ButterflyMoms and let the words “tune your life” you re-align to your true life’s purpose…and that is why we are all here, after all! It’s as simple and luscious as that! So here we go…

Winter in New England...from my deck.

The last few months have been ovary-busters! WHEW-EW CHILD! Some seriously crazy stuff has been unfolding. Many people did not find it comfortable for me to be in that ICKY PLACE but I did not want to leave it because I had not processed what I was going through. I have not fully left this uncomfortable place but I have found some incredible nuggets of information. The biggest one right now is that I do not have to own what I cannot control.

Sometimes as Moms we put ourselves in the position of God/Goddess/Allah/ Buddha. By this I mean we take on EVERYONE’s issues and make it our own. This is an impossible task that has killed the life force of many of our ancestors. Think about that harsh reality!

I was doing a meditation in my energy medicine school last weekend and I realized that I was guilty of wanting to fix everyone’s problems so that they could be safe….so that I could be safe. My fear of not being safe was so big that I oftentimes did not even check in with the person to see if they wanted my help or not. HELLOOOOO REALITY CHECK! This summer I had three very strong (energetically speaking) individuals do that to me and I can tell you that from the receiving side, it does NOT feel good at all when others try to SAVE YOU WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION!! ICKY!!!! YUCK!!!!

My girls :)!

My childhood did not exactly teach me about TRUST so now in adulthood I’m sticking in my pinky toe to see if the waters of trust feel right to me. I know there is a large “reward”, amazing treasures, if I can open up, really open up to the magnificence that is all around. Being closed cuts us off from sooooooooooo much cool “stuff”!!! …..and I’m talking about experiences, not things. SIDENOTE: Author Dan Buetner http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Buettner studies real sources of happiness. He quoted a study that the impact of new material things only lasts 9 months but experiences add value over time. 🙂 (and THAT is why ladies and gentlemen that I LOVE to travel!!!!) 😉

So back to this idea of trying to fix everything (hope I did not give you whiplash just now by moving back to the topic from which we digressed 😉 MOMMY MARTYRS DON’T HELP ANYONE! It is a not-so-great way to use your energy and then when you get depleted you get VERY cranky, moody or both and then, much like Godzilla, unleash your wrath unto the closest unsuspecting victims. You and I both now it can get very, very icky because the anger gets so big that you either attack someone else or turn it against yourself. For many of us we don’t know there is a third option, YES my fellow BUTTERFLYMOMS!!! YES, there is a THIRD OPTION and that is to give it away!

When you let go of what you cannot control all you have left is BEAUTY!

Now that I’ve totally confused you allow me to explain…Whenever we run across something that is too much to handle simply do the parts of it that you can, no matter how small or insignificant they feel, and then for the parts you cannot handle simply give them up to….here is where the fun begins. I did a mental exercise where I realized that I could give my ickies or the things that were too big for me to handle to rocks. Yes, you read it correctly, R-O-C-K-S, ROCKS!! In my exercise the rocks actually said “GIVE US YOUR PAIN. GIVE US YOUR HURT. WE LOVE EATING THAT STUFF.” Well, I did and know what? IT FELT AWWWWWWWESOME!!! Yes it did! I felt a huge weight being lifted. I found that it works MUCH better to stop acting like God and simply give it up to Spirit. Something happens where we think we need to do it all ourselves…(how’s that workin’ fer ya?)…..and that is simply not the case. THAT is why we feel so overwhelmed and why we keep trying to fill it with more STUFF!!! Do you see it? Take an aerial view of your life. Can you see where you have done this? Can you see where you do this? Here’s your chance to feed the rocks!!!

Welcome to Option #3! It's all around us!

Now my brain is scared that I just blogged that the rocks spoke to me but in this exercise they did so I’m going outside my comfort zone and letting you know too. Hope it helps some of you out there. I know it might seem silly but SILLY WORKED for me and it just may work for you, plus it’s 1. FREE 2. Does not hurt anyone and 3. No one knows that you are doing it….unless you put it on your own blog!!! 😉

I’m hearing little feet, gotta put on my “Mommy hat”.

Great big honkin’ hugs my lovelies,

Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

🙂

ButterflyMoms founder…YAY!

Yes, and she only JUST turned 7!!! 😉

COOL EVENTS SECTION….

This week is the inauguration week for BFMs listing your events all over our planet. Send me your cool events that feed other ButterflyMoms’ Souls by Wed to have them included in Friday’s ButterflyMoms blog…

MASSACHUSETTS

– From one of OUR ButterflyMoms, Nancy Senior in Worcester, MA…This Saturday, January 29th and Sunday 30th all day, it’s the Three Rivers Building Community Retreat! Come experience many different treatments demos including Reiki, Healings, Massage, Yoga, Raw foods and more. Affordable and fun! For more info: www.threeriversbuilding.com . I’m going with my girls Sat morning! Come join us!

– From one of OUR ButterflyMoms, Betty Ripley, Holliston, MA…Sewing 101 Class. Come learn how to sew in a class environment that is supportive and fun. The way Betty knows how to teach a class it simply just another form of meditation. The four week class starts Monday, January 31, 7-9pm for $75. I’m taking the class too! For more details call Maria 617.877.3616. Betty is also teaching a quilting class and has kids’ classes.

– From one of OUR ButterflyMoms, Becky Geer-Linnell, Medway, MA…Kniting 101 & Beyond Class. Just like the sewing class this is an incredibly fun way to connect to yourself by doing something that human being have been doing for thousands of years.Come learn how to knit in a wonderful environment. The four week class starts Tuesday, January 31, 7-9pm for $75. For more details call me 617.877.3616.

ButterflyMoms ROCK! (get it?!) 😉

– From one of OUR ButterflyMoms, Maria Salomão-Schmidt, Holliston, MA AND ALL OVER THE WORLD!…Stitch n’ Bitch Get Together at Doug Sent Me Green Cleaners in the downtown of an idyllic New England town called Holliston, Massachusetts. It was sooooo incredibly cathartic. It was so wonderful that the people who came asked if we could do it again in two weeks instead of a month. If you don’t live close enough to Holliston to come Thursday, Feb 3 from 6-8pm then join your own group. Building community is another way we feed our soul and it’s FREE! For more info go to their official site…. http://stitchnbitch.org/

Buy the book to feed your entrepreneurial soul!

PS WONDERFUL NEWS!!! My first book “Entrepreneurial Moms Extraordinaire” was shipped on Monday!!! For ButterflyMoms who order it online it is discounted to $19.99 for ButterflyMoms (down from $25). Please order a copy and recommend to your online friends. Click here to buy, and post the link on your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, …. http://bit.ly/gRxe4U. WHEW WHO!!!!!!!!

We have this wondeful Christmas tradition of walking to get our Chritsmas tree! Another wonderful gift from living in beautifuul Holliston!

Dearest ButterflyMoms,

Every Friday when I sit at my computer I am met with a flood of ideas and voices all crowding each other to be heard. My first reaction is to feel overwhelmed. What happens next is critical. I have one of two choices. One, I can “stand down”, which is a cool line I picked up from watching action movies, which means I can abandon my writing, OR, two, I can choose to surrender. What do I mean by surrendering? In surrendering I simply sit back, change my breath pattern (feels like taking a big sigh, sometimes even two or three…depends on the day), and asking, much like that 70’s gameshow, “Will the real ______ please stand up.” In this case I’m asking for help from the universe to guide me to write towards “my best and highest good”.

Once I make that request I’m given only the very first part of what to write about. I surrender again as I feel my mind creep in with “helpful” suggestions. There is a place for your mind but, in writing, I find that REALLY good writing happens only when your brain serves as background information help and not the main writer. The main writing, at least for me, comes from spirit. It’s so fun for me to write, because I never know how it’s going to turn out.

About two weeks before Sophia died. This was at her first birthday party which was an incredibly magical day!

The very first time I experienced this (that I am super conscious of) was the morning I awoke after my little girl Sophia’s sudden death. As I was sleeping I started getting a stream of words coming through. I tried to ignore it but I had a DEEP KNOWING that I would not remember it later and that it was important that it be shared. My mind was still semi-asleep as my soul guided my body downstairs to my desk and began to write as fast as I could to catch up to the words that were streaming in. Those were the words that I later read at her funeral and can be found here…. http://www.becauseofsophia.com/whoissophia.asp#Letter

The universe is always channeling energy through you. You have sooooo many resources around you that if you STOPPED to REALIZE it you would be amazed, delighted and humbled. Today, slow down, listen to your inner voice, use your breath. Do it consciously. For some because you don’t do this very often you might get the voice of fear/judgment. That is the ego! It is only happy when it is controlling you. It can only control you if you forget that your ego is NOT YOU! Remember in the Tom & Jerry or Bugs Bunny cartoons when you saw the devil and the angel on the character’s shoulder? The devil is the ego. It is only happy if you are not. Here’s where most people get lost in the mix, judging or punishing the ego only makes it stronger. The only way to get rid of it is to BRING GENTLE AWARENESS to it. Realize that it is not you but your fears. Realize that when the ego is on YOUR TRUE SELF cannot be. The TREASURE of who YOU really are is buried underneath that layer of icky. This is not “good” or “bad”, it is just the reason for why your life is the way it is. All you have to do is ACTIVATE CHOICE. Is this how I want to live my life? YES, stay the same. NO, then shift to breath and awareness of the present moment, like me and my writing, you will be given only the next step. Trust in that. Sit back, activate your breath and ACTIVATE YOUR NOW! The only power we have is in the present moment. This season of gift-giving give yourself the gift of ACTIVATING YOURS.

I thank you for showing up in your own life. If you have been attracted to our wonderful ButterflyMoms blog the universe is sending you a message that your soul already knows. Create from it what you need to. About 1,000 readers come to ButterflyMoms every week to feed their souls. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful community! As we all continue to celebrate this magical holiday season I wish you much AWARENESS in your life so that your pure JOY can come streaming in! MERRY EVERYTHING!

Great big hugs,
Mariaaaaaaaaaaa

🙂

PS In this season of giving sometimes the best gifts are those that don’t cost anything. Give someone the gift of ButterflyMoms but just sending them the link…. www.butterflymoms.com and telling them to check out the blog section. Feed your friends’ and family’s souls for free! :)!

PPS Please help me support my dream, the one Sophia helped me push forward. After so much struggling and excuses, I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooo thrilled that my dream of writing a book is finally come true!!! It’s been TWENTY YEARS in the making!!!! Entrepreneurial Moms Extraordinaire is the amazing wisdom of 21 entrepreneurial moms who are passing on their knowledge to those who don’t have time for beating around the bush! We all need to make money NOW and live our lives well NOW. This book will definitely help in a very profound way! It’s coming out at the end of January. It will be $25 but if you pre-order it now you get it for only $19.99. Of course I will autograph it for you too! J Send me an email at maria@butterflymoms.com and I will send you the order form. YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!!

Although I usually only write on Fridays and it’s now almost 2:00 am, I feel compelled to write on this truly amazing day!!!! It is hard to believe but Ninety years ago TODAY American women FINALLY got the right to vote. (take a deep breath) (Think about that! That is not even 100 years!!! We know people older than that so it’s within their lifetime! AMAZING!) If you don’t know the history of our right to vote please read up on it! It is worth learning about! (Little more history below to get your started.)

Today is election day and there is a battle right now still going on! It has moved from the actual issues like education, health care, jobs, etc to hatred and fear. I am well aware that by sharing this on ButterflyMoms that I may be accused of spreading that fear BUT I’m doing this with an open heart. One of the biggest asset of a ButterflyMom is that she can turn into whatever she needs to, to protect her clan. Sometimes she is a warrior when she needs to be, that is part of her power. She just does not “live there” but rather only “goes there” when it is necessary. Well, ButterflyMoms today it is necessary!

What is happening now in American politics is one of those times. There is so much NOISE that some people turn off, that is part of the reason why a small number of people have managed to start controlling so much! In the face of such troubling information many of us are like zombies from the movie, “Night of the Living Dead”. I personally cannot stand quiet when I see the injustice, bigotry, racism and lies that are being spread mainly by the Republican party. Now I’m an Independent and have voted for both Republicans and Democrats, but for the last few years Republicans have entered deeper into a world of hatred, fear and greed. They are trying to turn America into that same terrifying place. They are backed by money, big, big, big money and ignorance. I used to work in high level public relations and in my professional opinion I can see the strategy behind this a million miles away. Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Steve Forbes are all behind the Tea Party movement and this resurgence of pure hatred, fear and control. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE! As a mother I ask you to watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydyOTADrCFc to see what I mean with your own eyes.

In honor of the women (and men) who sacrificed their lives for you and gave you one of the greatest gifts, the gift of being counted and being heard, the simple right to vote, I ask that you vote today! I have a vision of an America where we can all live in peace and love, that is why I created ButterflyMoms. Your vote will help bring us closer to that future for our world. They can only succeed if the rest of us stay asleep,confused, tired, uninformed and complacent. Please vote AND share this information. We only have today! YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! If everyone did just a little……it starts with YOU!

I LOVE YOU for reading this entire entry. It is written in the memory of all the women who literally died for our right to vote. Today I will honor them and invite you to join me!

Great big hugs,
Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaa
🙂

Two wonderful friends of mine Jan Krause and Joan Hunt sent me this email below. I had to find the photos myself online but I thought the photos are worth it. I’ve also seen the movie which gave me an incredible appreciation for my right to vote, something most of us all take for granted….As the En Vogue song says, “FREE YOUR MIND AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW…” Thank you for the gift of having passed on such a treasure beautiful Jan and Joan!!!!! You never know how your “magic” will affect the world! Keep on spreading the LOVE!

This is the real life story of our Mothers and Grandmothers who lived only 90 years ago. Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden’s blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of ‘obstructing sidewalk traffic.’

(

Lucy Burns)
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

(Dora Lewis)
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cell mate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the ‘Night of Terror’ on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson’s White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women’s only water came from an open pail. Their food–all of it colorless slop–was infested with worms.

(Alice Paul)
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

So, refresh MY memory. Some women won’t vote this year because – Why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn’t matter? It’s raining?

Mrs Pauline Adams in the prison garb she wore while serving a 60 day sentence.
Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO’s new movie ‘Iron Jawed Angels.’ It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

Miss Edith Ainge, of Jamestown , New York
All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.

(Berthe Arnold, CSU graduate)
My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women’s history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was–with herself. ‘One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,’ she said. ‘What would those women think of the way I use, or don’t use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.’ The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her ‘all over again.’

HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco/Bingo night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn’t our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn’t make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men: ‘Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.’

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Remember to vote.

We often don’t make time to study history. I hope learning about the 19th Amendment and those “terrorists” and “traitors” (the Iron Jawed Angels as they were called) who courageously battled for it! Go share what you learned. Information can be soooo fun!

As we are nearing the summer my heart is filled with deep gratitude. For me, it has been an incredible summer of letting go, working through stuff I thought I had to hold on to and making room for how amazing can fit into my life. It has been a summer of Awareness and Connection! I have done more opening up and less judging myself/others, thus I’ve been flooded with “new” energy. (It is actually MY energy that I was putting into places I did not want to “grow” but it had become a habit. I saw it and called my energy back to me. YAY!)

In the last three months my life has totally opened up! It started with…I don’t even really remember exactly because I’m soooooo “swimming” IN THE “NOW”. All I know is I finished my first year of Energy Medicine, got a spectacular life coach, started a success team and was asked to start writing in the ButterflyMoms blog 15 minutes a day…the simmering (all loose ends with no common connection). Then out of the blue my brother Pedro and his wife Beth who had JUST moved to Chicago (aka OPRAH’s TOWN) asked me to be a Godmother to little Kaia. While there, I went to the Oprah Studios (on my birthday 🙂 ) and “it” ALL clicked something spiritually for me. I had been working on a bunch of stuff separately but it was at that point I could TASTE MY DREAM. I let go of the guards that pulled me back whenever I wanted to say to people, “I am a best-selling author.” “I am the fire that ignites people’s souls!” “I am on the Oprah Show.” “I AM the change I want to see.” Those guards have become very small this summer. I have taken much of my power back…and by doing so attracted some incredible SHIFT in these last three months.

Famous Portuguese Icon....Fernando Pessoa

That is when THE OPRAH SHOW called and said they were interested in hearing more about something I sent in. That is when seven friends emailed me the link to the contest to have your own talk show (and by putting my fears aside we all got almost a dozen newspaper articles and over 30,000 votes in 11 days)! That is when THE OPRAH SHOW called again in Portugal and asked me for more video footage and said that OPRAH herself with other top producers would be watching it. That is when ButterflyMom’s blog audience grew to over 200 a day average.

Yesterday we celebrated getting 500 ButterflyMoms as members of our Facebook group! The touching emails I get from Moms (and Dads) who read our blog and whose lives have shifted because we are all connected to this amazing, fun adventure called BUTTERFLYMOMS!!! It’s ALL sooooooooo sooooooooo sooooooooo amazing!

The latest amazing SHIFT is that after twenty years of wanting to write a book, just yesterday, something literally fell into my lap! It came sooooo suddenly that I almost did not see it for what it was! Through a contact I used to know in San Francisco, I’ve been asked to do co-author a book on being a Mompreneur, one of my very favorite (and core) subjects!!!! Many years ago I worked with Jack Canfield helping him edit his Chicken Soup for the Soul books and his book The Aladdin Factor (I’m actually in the acknowledgement list in that one 😉 ) Now this book is similar just a different publisher, who I knew a long time ago when I lived in beautiful San Francisco, just that 20 moms will be each writing a chapter. When the publisher found out that I was interested in the project she made an exception and now there are 21 authors for that book! How cool is that?! (It looks absolutely amazing by the way! Really high integrity factor going on here!)

At the Oceanario in Lisboa....Spectacular!

And just like that I’m going to have a published book! I AM AN AUTHOR!!!!!!!! BOOM! It did not look like I thought it would but letting go of the LAND OF SHOULD is part of the process. It evokes the GO WITH THE FLOW clause 😉 It will be coming out at the end of January! BOOM!

Gentle reminder, dear ButterflyMoms, that if you are reading this YOU are a part of this story! You are a part of the magic. If you are hearing/feeling/seeing/reading this then you can do the same thing. It is not “LUCK” it is all about ENERGY and calling yours back! I’m thinking about doing a workshop about this topic this fall. If many are interested I might even do it via phone. Speak out if you want to get some help with you shift…I did not do it alone and you don’t have to either! :)!

Great big hugs,

Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaa

🙂

ButterflyMoms Founder….thank you beautiful Sophia!

PS It feels GLORIOUS to SEE MY DREAMS UNFOLDING BEFORE MY EYES! THANK YOU FOR BEING ON THIS JOURNEY WITH ME! YOU make good company!!!! :)!!!!

I wrote a blog a couple of days ago about the amazing Nelson Madela not realizing his birthday is 92nd birthday is today. I felt when I wrote the blog that there was soooo much more about the man I wanted to know so I’m using this occassion to share his simple biography. If it still leaves you thirsty for more do a web search and read the ButterflyMoms blog reprint below called, “I am the MISTRESS of My FATE…I am the Captain of my SOUL.”

May you use this as an excuse to learn about an incredible human being who discovered that he is a sacred part of the universe and acted on that knowing, instead of the LIQUID HATE, RIDICULOUS UNFAIRNESS and DEEP PAIN that was all around him! What an inspiration….if you want it to be! 😉

Taken from Wikepedia….. (I SOOOOOO LOVE WIKEPEDIA!!!!) Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliɬaɬa manˈdeːla];), born 18 July 1918, served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life in prison. Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to multi-racial democracy in 1994. As president from 1994 to 1999, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation.

In South Africa, Mandela is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela’s clan.

Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

Great big hugs,
Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

🙂

PS Here is the blog….. ENJOY!

Hello Beautiful ButterflyMoms,

I’ve been having a lot of issues getting connected to the web over the last few days so to all of those who wrote I will respond, promise. It will just take me a little longer than I’d like! 😉

Yesterday I went to see the movie INVICTUS! WOW! WOW! WOW! Again it was at the outdoor theater in the Parque das Conchas in Lisboa, Portugal, under the beautiful stars. AHHHHHHHH! It was not the best directed movie, sorry Clint Eastwood, but the message is soooooo powerful. For us who are actively looking to build our SOUL STRENGTH, it was very powerful true story of how one person, through deep forgiveness can change an entire country, even the world! “I AM THE CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL!” is one of the lines from a poem Nelson Mandela read during his 27 years of capture and torture! The poem is called “Invictus“. It is a short Victorian poem written by the English poet William Earnest Henley in 1875. Nelson Mandela used this poem to give him strength when he thought he had no hope left. It can also be a gift to you if you let it be. It’s up to you. Read it slowly and take it in…

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Even with all this hate around him President Mandela choose peace from his core. It is SUCH a powerful message!

I am taken back to circa 1987 when I was a sophomore at Boston College and was wondering what this “APARTEID” was. I kept hearing about it but did not really know what it was. It was through musicians writing music about it that I began paying attention to what was going on. I highly recommend you look up APARTEID and see what lessons you can pick up. What happens in the macro (world) also happens on a smaller reverberation in the micro (your own life). This man, through what he learned CHANGED A WHOLE COUNTRY. If we apply those same principles we can do the same thing to our lives! If you can look at it without being in the LAND OF SHOULD and find the examples of how you in your own life are abusing yourself and limiting your potential then you will have found your pot of gold. (Wow, did I just go from talking about South Africa to “leprechauns”?! It’s all that Irish influence at Boston College! 😉 )

I find myself wanting to read a lot more about Nelson Mandela. Sometimes as we get up and mindlessly go through life we forget that others have lived before us for thousands of years and through books we can get help learning lessons. Whoever you are attracted to in history pick up a book today and read, read, read. Building up your mind’s ability to see allows you to better use your sixth senses plus gives you amazing insight on what lessons are out there to guide you have a more SOUL-FULL adventure!

May you have a FANTASTIC WEEKEND!! May you remember to BREATHE DEEPLY!! May you remember to have FUN!!!

Great big hugs,
Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

🙂

PS Read some past ButterflyMoms blogs and comment on them. You will always pick the perfect one for you! 😉

Today I’m writing from Long Island, New York (I’m saying it with the LI accent as I write it because it’s sooooo much fun to “tawk” like that! 😉 Doug, my hubbie, is from Long Island and most of his family still lives here. He has three stunningly beautiful and intelligent sisters (in case they are reading this ;)) and each time we come it is a wonderful mix of celebration, remembering and love. Of course there are the occasional mis-communications but those are very rare. Each time we see each other it is more fun than the last. Maybe it’s the distance because we know our time together is short-lived. It might also be that we all have very powerful memories of our childhoods and we realize that these are the memories we are making for our children. Whatever it is we dig each other!

Love is the main ingredient in all relationships. Now if you are like me you might think well what about the ICKY ones.

SIDEBAR: The word ICKY is a very important one. Most things are only “GOOD” or “BAD” if you judge the situation, however, when something feels “off” or “uncomfortable” the word ICKY is a great one to use. It allows you to stay neutral so you can get better intuition hits. Teach it to your kids too! It’s a fun word to say!

The ICKY relationships are the ones that come to teach us the most.The key is to not fall into the old human habit of feeling VICTIMIZED. EVERYONE who comes into our life if a reflection of us. They come to teach something if you are willing to be present. Always knowing that you are safe, always! We are on planet Earth to PLAY, LEARN, LET GO, LOVE. Now go do your fair share of those things!

Each Moment Has Both Humor And Reprimand Wrapped In It - You Get to Choose! Those choices over time create your life.

It is an silent epidemic! Mothers all over world, especially in industrialized countries like ours, are DROWNING!! Take that in for a moment. Think about what drowning is. Take a deep breath and really be present in this because there is a huge lesson here for you. Drowning is the act of sooooooooooooooooooo much coming in that you cannot even take a simple breath to stabilize yourself. Well, if you are just trying to live your life YOU are most likely drowning. Why? Because if you don’t give yourself a message you automatically default into the program that is around you which means you will start living life the way most people do. That brings to mind the Beatles’ words, ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE WHERE DO THEY ALL COME FROM! We as moms in this day and age are supposed to do it all. Cram more in! “You’re not trying hard enough!” “Don’t you love your children?” “Who needs sleep anyways”, you joke to your friends but inside your body is first whispering, then screaming, I DO!!!!!!!!! This was the case for the generation before BUT many key factors were different. Technology, mass production and improved systems of transportation have all greatly shifted the bar of expectation. This gives us fodder for many comical incidents! I hope you can laugh at yourself, which is ABSOLUTELY VITAL unless you plan on going insane! Go ahead and laugh at how funny the universe is it will help you breath better and catch the lessons that are around us every second of every day guiding us to the land of being joyous with our journey! I call that our JOYOUS JOURNEY, might have some “bumps” along the way but I’m just happy to be playing!

Here is an example that your moms never had to deal with….If you have younger children and you want to (need to) go run an errand (or 50 errands) you have more seat belts buckles to click than a flight attendant on a 747!!! I counted one time that I had 17 clicks before we could leave because once they were all in the car one of them needed to go to the bathroom. Everybody out. Everyone back in (again!;)) An hour later we are on the road….but now later than before. Sound familiar to anyone? (Take a deep breath here 🙂 – I had to so you might need to too!)

So I invite you to come here as many or as few times that your heart wishes. Know that if you feel stuck in your life the support system we are building here will support you and if someone has an issue by showing up you might be able to help them unlock something for them. That is how the universe works! It’s a VERY cool place and we are all card-carrying members! Don’t let your membership go to waste!!!! As one of my favorite mentors Dr. Wayne Dyer says, “Cemetaries are filled with people with their music still in them.” SING MY BUTTERFLYMOMS, SING!!! If you have found this wonderful little blog that is not advertised anywhere that means you are on your path. You have asked for a change in whatever way works for you and this site is part of your answer. Come share, ask, learn, play, hear, love and giggle here!!! It’s fun and honey it’s free!!! 🙂

Great big hugs,
Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

🙂

PS I am in awe of how this dream of mine has unfolded. I started writing EVERY morning for at least 15 minute because a “Wishcraft” group (based on the work of Barbara Sher with the same name) I’m in, asked me to. I LOVE my assignment because writing is one of the ways I get to be totally me. Being a mom of five does not really call for a lot of writing in general. Well in the first six days of writing every day I got just over 100 people coming to the site. The 7th day alone I got 70 and the 8th day (which was yesterday) I got 80!!!! This might seem small to you but this is my heart’s calling and in that moment of deep gratitude all I could do is cry for joy and awe. I thank you for showing up here and ask you to share this site with your friends and with yourself often! LOVE YOU!

Check Out... THE HAPPY ME RETREAT...

Join Transformational Life Coach, Maria Salomão-Schmidt for a unique 6 day/5 night retreat to Azores, Portugal, where you'll experience the culture, taste and feel of this absolutely stunning sub-tropical island. The Azores are a magical, volcanic land, full of natural, raw beauty, a temperate climate and endless amazing activities. Truly a paradise, and under 5 hours from Boston! There will also be plenty of time for respite and retreat amongst the beautiful fruity orchards of Quinta Minuvida, our home for the week. It's Time For Some Deep Happiness...